Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Jacob that he may teach us his ways so that we may walk in his paths; since the Law will go out from Zion, and the oracle of the Lord from Jerusalem.

Short Responsory

The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.

– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.

His glory will appear in your midst.

– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– The glory of the Lord will shine on you, Jerusalem. Like the sun he will rise over you.

Canticle

Benedictus

The Messiah and his forerunner

The Saviour of the world will rise like the sun; and he will come down into the womb of the Virgin like rain gently falling on the earth.

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption.

He has raised up the sign of salvation

in the house of his servant David,

as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones,

his prophets through the ages:

to rescue us from our enemies

and all who hate us,

to take pity on our fathers,

to remember his holy covenant

and the oath he swore to Abraham our father,

that he would give himself to us,

that we could serve him without fear

– freed from the hands of our enemies –

in uprightness and holiness before him,

for all of our days.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High:

for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path,

to let his people know their salvation,

so that their sins may be forgiven.

Through the bottomless mercy of our God,

one born on high will visit us

to give light to those who walk in darkness,

who live in the shadow of death;

to lead our feet in the path of peace.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning,

is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

The Saviour of the world will rise like the sun; and he will come down into the womb of the Virgin like rain gently falling on the earth.

Prayers and intercessions

As we pray together in the name of the Church, turn our minds and hearts back to you, Lord.

– Send us your light and your truth.

As we think and pray about your Son’s coming,

help us to grasp its meaning in a way that is personal and profound.

– Send us your light and your truth.

May we never despise any of our fellow-men, since we are all your children.

Help us rather to fight against their hurt or degradation.

– Send us your light and your truth.

Heal the broken bonds of human life:

reconcile us in the sharing of our hope in Christ.

– Send us your light and your truth.

Help us to hear your voice

through the situations in which we work today.

– Send us your light and your truth.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Deepen our faith, Lord God,

as we celebrate the great mystery of the incarnation

by which you revealed to the world the splendour of your glory

through the Virgin Mary

when she gave birth to your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

Amen.

The psalms and canticles here are our own translation. The Grail translation of the psalms, which is used liturgically in most of the English-speaking world, cannot be displayed on the Web for copyright reasons. The Universalis apps, programs and downloads do contain the Grail translation of the psalms.